Bioware founders retire to drink beer and save the world

Bioware, creator of franchises including Baldur's Gate,
Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect,has revealed that its two co-founders will be retiring from the
company after twenty years at the helm.

As former medical school grads, this won't be the first time the
two have stepped into a new career path but it does mark the
biggest change in the company's constitution since it was bought by
Electronic Arts in 2005.

So what do you do next once you've established one of the most
successful gaming outfits in history?

Greg Zeschuk has opted for a
"personal passion-driven project" in the form of a
web-based interview show called The Beer Diaries where he will
interview notable brewers and showcase their offerings. If this
sounds good to you, it may be just the tip of the iceberg since
he'd be looking to follow it up with other related shows, apps and
projects.

Meanwhile, his partner Ray Muzyka has
loftier ambitions. He describes his next direction as investing
in and mentoring social entrepreneurs. That includes everything
from companies that consider social goals alongside the usual
business profit ones to those with social impact as their primary
goal.

While these plans may not be Tony
Stark levels of indulgence, they do feel like appropriate
ventures for individuals that have spent so long in the games
industry. Indeed, Muzyka's decision could be seen as fuelled by the
same instincts that made him decide to move from medicine to gaming
-- social industry is a fast developing market of
opportunity.

The two leave behind a company at the top of its game in sales and
critical success but not without the usual struggles that plague an
operation in such a position. Most recently, it found itself
embroiled in controversy when fans claimed the ending to Mass
Effect 3 was not only unsatisfactory but actually false
advertising. The accusations were eventually overruled.

Having started with $100,000 in capital, a third co-founder --
Augustine Yip -- actually dropped out after a
year to return to medicine before Baldur's Gate
propelled them into true success.